Issue 3 23-24

P ROSPECTOR THE

VOLUME 63, ISSUE 3

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2023

Business booms, issues loom

Police struggle to detect vape shops’ illegal activity

PJ O’GRADY Editor-in-Chief

*name changed for confdentiality

In complete shock, senior John Wilkins* did not realize how easy it was to buy a vape instore at his age. Walking through the aisles with friends, Wilkins’ nerves were fring on all cylinders as he grabbed a peach favored Posh vape of the shelves.

When he arrived at the register, the employee asked if he was 21 years old (the minimum legal age to purchase a vape). Naturally, Wilkins said yes, and after the employee asked for his ID, he said that he “accidentally” left it in his car; nonetheless, the employee allowed the transaction to occur without an ID.

When Wilkins bought the vape, he said it seemed like the employee didn’t actually care about his age. Instead, he felt like the employee wanted the sale for business more than anything.

“I think that a lot of their audience that they’re selling to is a younger crowd,” Wilkins said. “ … They know that we’re underage when we go in there and buy a vape.”

Going on his third year of vaping, Wilkins estimates he’s been to that same store 150 times to purchase vapes. Deemed a loyal customer, Wilkins owns a rewards card with them and benefts from plenty of “nice deals.”

“I [just] walk in,” Wilkins said. “I ask them to get it out of the cabinet for me, and then [I] go straight to the counter [and] put in my number [for the rewards system].”

Wilkins serves as just one example of how easy it can be to buy a vape from local businesses. An article from The Atlantic entitled “How the Vape Shops Won” wrote that the number of vape stores in the country has grown 20 percent each year since 2018 — innocent teenagers being the primary audience to fuel these establishments.

As of 2022, the number of vape shops in the U.S. reached a total of 8,415, according to IBISWorld. Thus, it’s clear that the vaping industry is growing at a rapid pace each year.

“[Vaping has] signifcantly increased,” School Resource Ofcer Tyler Johnson said. “… The American people had a grasp on the tobacco

8,415

The Number of Vape shops in the united states, which is over 2,o0o more than the number of burger kings

*according to IBISWorld & Scapehero

MISSION OVERLY-POSSIBLE: Two teens walk out of an e-cigarette shop with their vapes in hand. Senior John Wilkins* has experienced the ease of vape-shopping at stores that sell to minors. Although he indulges in the activity, Wilkins explained the dilemma he faces: “When I’m hitting my nic[otine] or my vape, yeah I’m enjoying it, but I don’t like the idea of vaping [and] what it does to me … It’s physically killing me.” (cartoon by Nicole Antczak)

industry [and] on underage tobacco. They did all these good programs to get people to understand ‘Hey, tobacco is not good for you. It’s going to damage your lungs.’ … Unfortunately, vaping is pretty much directly targeting young people … and then it just exploded.”

According to a KnightMedia survey of 303 students, 75.8 percent of them believe that selling vapes to underage teens is a problem.

The question of how to stop the fast-growing industry’s products from entering the hands of the youth is growing dire as more high schoolers fnd themselves trapped in this addictive reality.

The problem was magnifed when the National Institutes of Health found that 44.7 percent of vape businesses across the U.S. sold vapes to underage decoys in 2018. For local law enforcement, stopping the distribution of vapes to those under 21 years old is difcult to enforce.

According to Johnson, teens usually avoid giving information to police at all costs in fear that their go-to shops will close down. Additionally, those who vape don’t want to hurt the same business where their friends shop at.

To Johnson, though, students who do not give police information are directly harming other teens’ health by giving them nothing to work with.

“This is harming people who don’t know any better,” Johnson said. “ … They will never recover, period.”

As a result, ofcers must do their own investigations to prove that an

THEY KNOW THAT WE’RE UNDERAGE WHEN WE GO IN THERE AND BUY A VAPE.”

- John Wilkins,* senior

illegal situation is developing.

“It’s limited [information],” Johnson said. “No one wants to rat [on people] … A lot of it is us being proactive and going out scoping out vape shops.

”

About every four or fve months, the Mount Prospect Police Department (MPPD) goes on undercover stings in the parking lots of vape businesses. In an unmarked car, they will sit there for hours watching the clientele roll in. If they observe multiple cases where it seems that underage teens bought from a certain store, they will cite the employee who sold underage in the business, as well as the buyer.

Instead of citing students, Johnson said the MPPD wants to start recruiting high schoolers to help them on their stings. Although it’s open to everyone between the ages of 18-20 years old, Johnson plans on employing a specifc group of candidates who have shown interest in cooperating — current students, former students and even ones who live nearby but

don’t go to Prospect. However, he has to wait until they turn 18 years old, which is the legal age to collaborate with law enforcement on investigations.

Once a student can do it, the process is relatively simple: the student walks into the store and asks for a vape. Depending on what the business does, like ID’ing the student or not, the student reports the information back to the police with proper compensation for any transactions.

With that info, the police can assess whether a business is exercising proper policies with underage shoppers. MPPD Crime Prevention Ofcer Greg Sill explained that the rule of thumb for carding is to check IDs for anyone who looks under the age of 35. Having said that, he believes that the best system is to check everyone — that way, there would be no chance of anyone buying underage, and no one would wonder why they got carded since it is a universal policy.

With the aim of preventing vape businesses from continuing their ille-

gal activity, police can issue a Potential Tobacco Product Violation. This penalty incurs a fee between $200800, depending on the amount of violations. Furthermore, police can suspend or revoke a business’s license; however, Johnson noted that it must be repeated misconduct for them to do that.

“[A citation] maxes out at $800 and continues, but by then their licensure should be revoked by the village … It’s difcult, [though], to shut down a business for one ofense,” Johnson said. “There has to be a pattern of … disregard for the law.”

Although Sill said that he’s never seen a case where the Village of Mount Prospect has revoked a license, the threat of these punishments can be enough for certain vape businesses to reevaluate their policies.

Wilkins saw the impact of a tobacco violation frsthand when he went to buy a vape from one of his stores. Usually, they would sell to underage teens, but after receiving a citation from police, he noticed that they tightened up restrictions.

Waiting in line outside of the store, Wilkins observed that only one person could be in the store at a time. He also saw that the shop shifted from not checking IDs to checking every person’s ID.

While Wilkins thinks tighter regulations can help prevent many vapers from starting, he can’t help but feel conficted in his personal dilemma.

“I think more restrictions would be better, like making people swipe an ID card before they buy their vape … could be helpful,” Wilkins said. “However, … that’s going to be a no for me, because I want to still be able to fnd my vapes.”

One way vape shops can make sure teens cannot buy vapes would be to install ID scanners at every store. Johnson believes it would be an extremely easy solution to put into practice — simply scanning the barcodes of driver’s licenses.

However, according to IDScanner. com, this technology is expensive, with lower-quality ID scanners costing around $700. Also, scanners are not mandatory, according to Johnson, leaving many businesses’ without a good reason to purchase one.

In an efort to stop teens from vaping, law enforcement does not just go after business’ but also students. Prospect has a three-step policy (see edge) when they catch students who vape, according to Johnson.

As much as he wants students to stop vaping, Johnson knows there’s not much he or other faculty can do to stop it.

“We kind of take it as we want the cooperation from the parents and we want the student to want to get better,” Johnson said. “But if someone is addicted, we’re not going to stop them from being addicted. They have to want to not be addicted. You got to do it yourself.”

Whether peer pressure is in the equation or not, Johnson said that the blame doesn’t fully fall on a business or a teen; rather, both parties are responsible.

“They’re equal[ly to blame],” Johnson said. “I think a lot of people don’t want to agree with that. I know that students know what they’re doing is illegal and wrong … they know that they’re underage. They’re still going out of their way to fnd [a vape] and get it.”

Winter dance reintroduces tradition

BROOKE MICHALCZYK

Online Editor-in-Chief

This November, rumors and speculation regarding a winter dance spread through the halls of Prospect. ASB leaders announced that the possibility of hosting another school dance is in the hands of the students. After Thanksgiving break, a survey was sent to the whole school asking students if they would attend. The results determined whether or not planning for the dance would begin.

The tentative date of the dance is Saturday, Feb. 4. There is set to be themed dress-up days and activities for the week leading up to the event. The Friday night before the dance, Feb. 3, will be a big rivalry basketball game. The set-up is similar to homecoming week, just a little smaller due to budget constraints.

Senior Rachael Sasanuma wishes a winter formal could have happened earlier in her high school experience. Sasanuma’s favorite event at Prospect is homecoming. She thinks that having another week of festivities would have been nice, especially considering that she did not have a freshman year homecoming due to the pandemic.

“I love the traditions of celebrating the week leading up to the dance,” Sasanuma said. “It always brings exciting energy into the school.”

According to sociology teacher and ASB adviser Kristen Ray, students have been requesting another dance for the past four years. However, Ray knows the history of these events at Prospect.

becoming increasingly unenthusiastic about the idea. In the winter dance’s fnal year, less than 100 students attended. The administration decided that it had become a waste of money and resources.

“It just stinks if you get all excited about the dance and then you sell less than 100 tickets,” Ray said. “And then you have to cancel it.”

In previous years, the Poms team has hosted a winter ball as a fundraiser for their program. However, this also faded away as the prior coach retired, and the dancers who knew how to run this event graduated.

Senior Blue Leader Brooke Runkle thinks that having another school dance could be very benefcial and exciting for the underclassmen. Since homecoming is the only school dance the freshman and sophomores are invited to attend, they may feel disconnected with their school community during the anticlimactic months of winter.

“All students love to have something to get excited for,” Runkle said. “I’m excited for the memories that could come from having another dance.”

The discussion of the theme for the dance has been a prominent topic in the ASB meetings. Ray mentioned that several people ofered up the idea of a “turnabout dance.” Thoughts on traditional winter ball themes, such as simple snowfakes or Valentine’s Day have also been suggested. Runkle mentioned that the idea of a “turnabout dance” might be something Prospect would want to stay away from. The concept is that girls are responsible for asking their dates to the dance, rather than the guys (the stereotypical idea). Rolling Meadows and Bufalo Grove High School have an annual “turnabout” event.

- Brooke Runkle, senior

Twenty years ago, when she frst started teaching at PHS, they had a winter dance run by the sophomore class. Each year there was an extravagant theme, with decorations and costumes. Over the years, she observed that students were

“It’s the 21st century,” Runkle said.

“We don’t need a specifc dance for girls to ask out the guys.”

Instead of “turnabout,” Ray believes that many people would love the over-the-top themes she once saw at Prospect. She specifcally remembers the tropical and 50s night themes. However, she knows there is no denying that student participation is extremely diferent today. She has

noticed that in recent years, the excitement for the dances has decreased. This declining sense of school spirit is not unique to Prospect. Ray spoke with the potential DJ, but despite even having signed the contract, the DJ has already mentioned that students often just don’t show up.

French teacher and ASB adviser Jenna Sandstead worked alongside Ray and others to sort through the pros and cons of relying on a survey. She said they came to the conclusion that if this is something students really want to do, they would step up and send out the survey. The advisers did not have a specifc percentage or plan, however they knew that they could expect half of the “pro-

The second time a student is caught, they are brought into Peer Jury. School Resource Offcer Tyler Johnson gets involved.

Any time a student is caught after the frst two times, they are issued a $150 fne.

Although Johnson disagrees with vape businesses’ illegal activity, he understands that some shops aren’t selling underage with malicious intent.

“I don’t think they’re out to get anybody, and I don’t think it’s incompetence,” Johnson said. “I think it’s a business, and they’re trying to make money.”

Johnson reasoned that some vape shops probably weigh the risk of a citation against all the potential proft they can make by selling to minors. A $200 citation to an employee means much less to a business if they can make over $2,000 from selling underage.

Wilkins doesn’t place any blame on the vape businesses that sell to him and his peers.

“They’re try ing to promote their business, and that’s none of my busi ness,” Wilkins said.

police cannot efectively enforce such a widespread issue despite their persistent eforts to do so.

“The police are not ignorant to the fact that students are vaping all the time,” Johnson said. “It’s impossible to enforce; we can’t just sit and search everybody … It’s a bummer because we’re concerned about it — me specifcally because I’m in the school [and] I see it.”

With a lack of leads and a small amount of participation from students, Johnson explains that while the vaping issue is huge, it’s a “medium-low” priority for the MPPD; it’s too hard to solve this issue when they rarely know which business is causing the problem. Despite that, Johnson said that if they consistently receive precise information from others, cracking down on vaping would become much more important.

“If we had a specifc complaint, where someone’s like ‘Hey, my son is purchasing vapes at this location,’ I’m telling you right now the level of that priority would be exponentially … high,” Johnson said. “We would absolutely be going in there that week multiple times, doing this nonstop until we get something.”

Johnson knows that vaping occurs nearly everywhere from some students. He noted that the

dance” votes to not actually show up. Meaning if 400 people vote yes, the advisers would predict that 200 students would attend.

Additionally, ASB leaders planned on producing a straightforward commercial for morning announcements. This would inform students that if the idea of a winter formal is something that the majority of students seem excited about, the plans would go through. It was fully up to the student body and the results of the survey.

With that being said, Johnson takes vaping seriously, knowing that any seller who does not do their “due diligence,” as well as the businesses who “willfully and wantonly sell tobacco and nicotine vape products” can ruin innocent teens’ lives.

Health found that 44.7 percent of VAPE businesses across the U.S. sold vapes to underage decoys in 2018.

“We want to catch people,” Johnson said. “For me, I signed up to do this to catch bad people who are harming the community. I know it’s goofy to say it, but I believe this.

[The businesses’] are harming the youth – the juvenile people who don’t understand what this is doing to their body … It’s an addiction you’ll carry for the next 30-40 years if you don’t stop now.”

Analyzing the issue, Sill said that facilitating proper knowledge in the community is the most important thing people can do to prevent poor choices.

“[It’s about] working towards the education, not only for vaping to help get the message out about how bad it can be but also … trying to lay the groundwork of, ‘We have to make those healthy choices for ourselves’,” Sill said. “I think more as a society, we are seeing students and adults making healthier choices. So, we need to keep reinforcing that and talking about diferent ways to help and deal with everyday life.”

Despite the many diferent opinions on the dance throughout the school, ASB believes that the idea itself has created a lot of excitement.

THROWBACK: Students from the Prospect class of 1984 and 1989 enjoy previous dance traditions such as the Winter Ball and “turnabout.” Heading into second semester, ASB will be hosting a winter dance in February of 2024. (photos courtesy of Crest Yearbook) www.jpimages.art

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Drop o letters to the Prospector in the box in the library, in room 162 or email letters to prospectornow@ gmail.com. All letters must be signed. Limit letters to 400 words. The Prospector reserves the right to edit for style and length.

STAFF

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Mollie Kearns, PJ O’Grady

MANAGING EDITOR

Amanda Feinberg

COPY EDITORS

Alex Bonnette, Stella Palm, Justin Peabody

ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Brooke Michalczyk

ASSOCIATE ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

KNIGHT

KNIGHT

KNIGHT

Tessa Trylovich

Kenny Munao

Amelia Maslowski

Walczak KNIGHT

Ben Mitchell

PROSPECTOR EDITORS

Xander Adkins, Sienna DeMonte, Nick Eyles, Kelly Jordan, Danny Martinez, Emily Torok, Claire Wynkoop

KNIGHT TV DIRECTORS

Zoe Brown, Peter Radosh

ONLINE EDITOR

Dean Carlson

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

Abby Damasky

REPORTERS

Dylan Heber, Sarah Matzkin, Kaia Mavradas, Dylan Maye, Molly Mundt, Joe Peters, Matthew Pulver, Mary Robinson, Jonah Silverman, Drew Terpins

VISUAL EDITOR

Alyssa Kowols

ADVISER

Jason Block

MISSION STATEMENT

The primary purpose of the Prospect High School Prospector is to report news and explain its meaning and signifcance to our readers and the community. We, The Prospector, hope to inform, entertain and provide an unrestricted exchange of ideas and opinions. The Prospector is published by students in Multimedia Communications courses. Some material is courtesy of MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.

ADVERTISING

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Retake center re-evaluation

Staff Editorial

With voices swirling all around her, senior Charlotte Chengary struggled to stay on task while taking her AP Statistics test in the EmpowerU Room.

The Test Make-Up center, which originally had a separate room in the KLC, moved to Lab A this year and was combined with visits for detentions, in-school suspensions, social emotional check-ins and test make-ups. Associate Principal Joyce Kim attributed the decision to the ongoing rule of mandatory on campus freshman study halls; more staf was needed to supervise the students, so it would be more practical for multiple check-in centers to be managed in the same room.

At a glance, it sounds like a reasonable idea. It saves space and staf needed to supervise students. For test-takers, however, its been an issue. Chengary noted that while she was trying to focus on her test, she became distracted by the conversations other students were having with the current supervising staf member.

“It’s defnitely a lot more dis-

tracting when there’s others in the room and they’re talking,” Chengary said.

Associate Principal for Student Services Kara Kendrick understands that the current situation for students retaking or making up a test is not ideal.

“This is the ever-evolving ‘how do you manage all of the resources in a space and the needs in a space that is not big enough?’”

Kendrick said.

“Our school is just a small footprint of what our needs have become.”

Kendrick said. “The hard part is that both spaces could be empty at any given day. So, having a separate staf member for each space is not practical. So, we just have to fgure out the best way to make it work. It’s still a work in progress.”

31 1 Against

Voting results of the Knight Media staff in regards to this editorial. For

Last school year, the Test Make-Up center was a glass window room inside of the KLC. Each period, a diferent staf member would supervise the students in the room while they were working.

Kendrick thinks having a separate staf member to manage both the retake and detention centers was not a good use of stafng.

“Yeah, it’s defnitely not ideal,”

Kendrick says that for students like Chengary who noted distractions in the EmpowerU Room, there is the option to move to Lab B next door, EveryKnight Achieves. After the staf evaluated the use of the space, they made the decision to offer this additional accommodation two months into the school year, hoping it could be a quieter environment. However, Chengary said that this option was not presented to her at the time she took her test in early November.

We, KnightMedia, believe that the combination of other centers along with the Test Make-Up center is a problem for test-takers. We understand that space and staf is limited. Implement-

ing the EveryKnight Achieves room alongside the EmpowerU center is a step in the right direction. However, according to Chengary’s experience, the EveryKnight Achieves center is not always utilized for the purpose of test make-ups, creating an inconsistent experience for students.

A quiet environment is essential for anyone taking an exam; however the accommodations for this year’s test retake center provides the opposite experience. We believe that the Retake Center should have its own dedicated space — completely separate from other centers and all other distractions.

Despite the struggles presented by the relocation of the Test MakeUp center, Kendrick says that administration is open to suggestions on how to solve this problem.

“We are listening to the feedback,” Kendrick said. “This is something we haven’t done before and we are hearing what people are saying, which is why we asked the teachers in EveryKnight Achieves if we could use that space more … We’ll continue to revisit it. Nothing is set in stone. We don’t mind changing anything once we’ve been given feedback.”

Holiday havoc persists all year round’

Christmas insanity promotes intense personalities

‘Tis the season for craziness. Once Halloween passes, it seems that some Christmas-crazy Americans get straight to their favorite holiday on Nov. 1. I can’t help but notice how crazy Christmas is, yet why that crazy makes it so fun. Even one of Chicago’s radio stations, 93.9 LITE FM, fipped the switch at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2, kicking of the annual tradition with a two-hour block of commercial-free Christmas tunes until the start of the new year.

Senior Maggie Lanza, an avid Christmas music listener, believes that Christmas music can be listened to year-round.

“There’s no such thing as too early, [and] if someone tells me ‘too early,’ I say ‘I don’t care, it’s Christmas time!’” Lanza said.

Even as someone who loves to get into the holiday spirit, I can recognize how crazy some Americans can get over this holiday.

It was 2017 Black Friday at Woodfeld Mall, and my dad and I had shopped at a total of two stores in the span of six hours simply because of the thousands and thousands of people there.

Whether it be scrolling through TikTok or experiencing the crazy shoppers frst hand, I believe that the chaotic nature of this holiday is what makes it so enjoyable. In my opinion, the craziest stores would have to be Target, any place at Woodfeld and the Hallmark store. These stores are so busy due to an overstock of Christmas items that they ofer to the public. I’ve also seen some rather … interesting traditions that make it especially entertaining.

Lanzas favorite tradition to do over the holiday is quite unique. The day after Thanksgiving, she and her family redecorate their entire house with Christmas visuals. She believes that when she spends this time with her family, it just reminds her every year the joy of what Christmas is all about.

Around the Christmas season, prices seem to come at an all time high. Americans are predicted to spend between $943 billion and $960 billion in the months of November and December this year, with average spending for gifts and other holiday-related items expected to amount to $883 per consumer, according to Statitsa.com. I remember, in sixth grade, I had gotten a Swarovski ornament from a middle school boyfriend that was priced around $140. We did not have a set budget, so I had gotten him a $10 basketball game, yikes.

TOY TIME: With the increasing popularity of “holidays” like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Christmas shopping is crazier than ever. Children’s toys are hard to get, highly pricey and very popular during the season of gifting. (photo by Margaret Schram)

whole idea of kids being naughty or nice may have come from 16th century Holland. Before there were stockings, parents placed their children’s clogs near the freplace. Good children would fnd candy or cookies on their clogs. Naughty children, however, would fnd a lump of coal. It used to be so simple, little gifts such as candy being put into a person’s shoes, but we have seen that has changed to an insane amount of money being spent over gifts.

Senior Gracie Asper, who is involved in Young Life, believes that Christmas celebrations should be solely based on its religious background, not to the extent of spending thousands of dollars on gifts.

“[I think] that Santa is a really cute idea and a fun way for kids to think about gift giving and receiving, but he’s not the real reason for Christmas,” Asper said.

Instead of opening presents and eating delicious food the night before Christmas, Asper spends her time at the local church to feel connected to the holiday.

Lanza’s parents were up there with other high priced consumers. When Lanza was in 6th grade, her parents had bought her and her siblings a puppy. She felt so grateful to be able to have such a generous gift to be given, and that she was lucky enough to be seen as “good” in Santa’s eyes.

According to National Day Calendar, the

“My family and I always go to church on Christmas Eve …we sing a lot of Christmas songs [and] listen to a message from the Bible and light candles. It’s really meaningful,” Asper said.

I believe that people can celebrate Christmas any way that they want to, rather that be on a religious basis or to simply sit in their car for hours and belting out Mariah Careys’ “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Personally, I love to spend time searching for the perfect gift for Secret Santa with my friends.

“I believe that the importance of the holiday season is to give to others [and] celebrate what we have,” Lanza said.

KELLY JORDAN

Review

It was a chilly, cloudy, early January afternoon, and the December snow was melting in piles in the parking lot surrounding me. The combination of harshly frigid winds and slippery, frozen blacktop made for a uniquely uncomfortable environment, but in the middle of the lot, there was an oasis that made my treacherous journey worth it:

A GameStop.

I thought I was in heaven. As a 13-year-old who had an abundance of miscellaneous gift cards and cash burning a hole in his pocket, there was no better place to empty my wallet than an overpriced video game store.

I couldn’t have been happier with my fnds. “Bioshock: The Collection” and “Dark Souls: Remastered” for a total as minimal as $30? Four of the greatest video games of all time for a price equivalent to two Christmas cards? I truly was in heaven!

But, right before I was about to purchase my life for the next three months at the checkout counter, I decided to be intelligent about my purchase and look up the review scores for the games on Metacritic: one of the most popular review sites for video games, with over 19 million users per month.

I already knew they were some of the greatest games of all time based on the opinions of friends and reviews other than the ones on Metacritic, but what was the harm in checking, right?

R-right?

What I found shook me to my very core. I saw something so terrifying that I almost dropped my phone in shock.

Those of the faint of heart, please, stop reading this now and fip the page to the light-hearted and fun Holiday stories, for what I’m about to reveal is so gruesomely unsatisfactory that you might even sigh in disappointment. What I found on Metacritic was … MEDIOCRE REVIEW SCORES!

*Insert super dramatic horror movie sound efect here*

I couldn’t believe it. Relieved of the massive bullet I dodged, I put the games back on the shelf and left the store, still emotionally distraught from my experience.

It wasn’t until much, much later (a month) that I discovered why the scores were actually so low: they were just bad versions of good games.

But would I, a 13-year-old who was dumb enough to buy a membership at GameStop, have noticed that? Yeah, probably not.

In case my long, slightly over exaggerated experience with review scores wasn’t enough to portray my point, I’ll spell it out for you.

R-E-V-I-E-W S-C-O-R-E-S A-R-E

I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-Y I-M-P-O-R-T-AN-T. Okay, now repeat that out loud without looking at the page.

Reviews have been a huge factor in shaping perception for a long time, with flm critiques in newspapers emerging during the early 1900’s. I mean, we’ve all watched movies with millions of dollars put into their production, revolutionary new features pushing their importance and some of the most innovative minds in the industry working on them and said “Yeah, no. They should have done THIS instead,” so it makes sense why it would become an actual job.

But what makes a critic more knowledgeable than a director, or even just an average consumer? Or, in terms you’ve probably heard from anyone who had their favorite “thing” get a low review score, “what makes them better than us?” College journalism student and former award-winning KnightMedia Editor-In-Chief Kevin Lynch explains what elevates a critic’s opinion from the rest, and how followers online determine that.

“Sometimes it’s literally just a visible numbers game … it’s not just numbers in terms of how many people see it; the numbers bring credibility and their stature gives credibility as well,” Lynch said. “Compared to the average person, critics have a big impact on how people see a movie, or whatever [kind of entertainment].”

A feature synonymous with reviews are reviews scores: a number at the end of the review telling you how much the product sucks on a scale. Typically the scale is from 1 (or as I like to call it: “Holy hell this is the biggest waste of money ever”) to something higher, typically 10 (a.k.a “There’s no way this is THAT good”).

When I say *random number*/10 is “typically” used, I mean always 100% of the time. Sure, some like to use a scale out of 5 or 100, but these are either too broad or way too specifc.

Like, one point on a scale of 1-100 means literally nothing, but one point on a scale of 1-5 is the diference between recommending a product and gaslighting yourself into thinking it doesn’t exist.

On paper, I think review scores are a nice addition to reviews. Unfortunately, most of the time they aren’t treated as additions; instead as their own mini version of the review. Then, when websites like Metacritic rip away the score from the context of the review, the issue is multiplied by 100.

When a score’s context isn’t there, consumers don’t know why something got terrible scores. If the main factor in someone giving “Dark Souls: Remastered” a low score is the difculty of the game, how would you know that without reading the review that isn’t present? What if you love difcult games and that factor elevates your score? You can only make assumptions about something when only numbers are being thrown at you, most of which are negative and prevent you from buying the product.

I tend to look at review scores as the most condensed version of a review. A review goes over pros and cons that, depending on your preferences, can make or break you purchasing something.

A review score is adding the pros and cons together and then subtracting the total pros by the total cons. This doesn’t mean I literally write down every single good and bad thing about whatever I’m reviewing and then throw my totals into a calculator, it’s more so something I do subconsciously when actually writing the bulk of the review.

However, Lynch doesn’t agree with this mindset: he believes a review and the score in the review are diferent beasts.

“I don’t think a review score is a review … 10 different people could give a movie one star, and they would all have completely diferent reasons,” Lynch said. “That’s not really a review, it’s just sort of a judgment.”

Inherently, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this mindset, and I’m obviously not knocking Lynch for having it. The problem forms when the review score is taken away from the context of whatever was said in the review and seen only by itself, which unfortunately happens very, very often.

Metacritic is the most popular website that separates scores from reviews. They fnd the average score for something across all of the major review sites, post it on their site and viola. That average score just formed how a product is going to be judged for eternity.

Most people, who aren’t educated critics like Lynch, are going to look at a review score without reading the review it belongs to. They then assume the score summarizes EVERY SINGLE one of the critic’s thoughts stated in the review they didn’t read.

But scores, reviews and critics’ thoughts being misinterpreted can’t hurt a piece of entertainment, right?

WRONG.

Well, thank you for asking me that, my beloved Mr. Strawman. Now here’s why you’re absolutely

NOT WHAT THEY SEEM: While at an art museum, a critic judges a famous painting. Despite their use of words, their rating refects a different viewpoint. (illustration by Luca Nicolaie)

Obviously if someone sees that something they were considering buying got terrible review scores, they won’t buy it. Just like 13 year old me at the GameStop, like, 1,000 words ago.

Educator and founder of The Poetic Classroom, a company that provides poetic performances for schools, Bill Buczinsky explains how other peoples’ thoughts on his work afect his current projects.

“I love it when somebody says something good,” Buczinsky said. “When the Chicago Tribune [talked about] my CD they said something positive. I was on some talk shows, and [both of those] were great publicity and helped … [but] to me, the most important critics, frst and foremost, are the kids that I’m performing for.”

Luckily, the perception goes both ways. Sure, most of the time it’s negative, but not having the full context of a review can sometimes help.

I’m not a role-playing game (RPG) fan. Some are really good, but overall I fnd the genre slow, repetitive and drawn out.

So when I heard about “Undertale,” a game getting 10/10’s from every review site I could fnd, I bought it so quickly I didn’t even know what genre I was getting myself into.

I absolutely loved it. Going in, all I knew about were the fantastic ratings, meaning I couldn’t hold my anti-RPG bias against it.

The whole point of criticism is to be constructive, which reviews also have the power to do.

Buczinsky explains how he improved his projects through criticisms.

“All my critics … are people who aren’t interested in dragging me down for no reason, but care enough to say, ‘Bill, that poem isn’t working out at all,’” Buczinsky said. “I’m always seeking out critics in that sense. People that give you a good sense of how you can make the work better.”

Critics have the power to either rip something apart or praise it to a god-like status. The review score is helpful in seeing how something stacks up against other similar products, but, much like any piece of writing, can be easily misinterpreted without background information. No matter what a critic says, it should be constructive. Their opinions have a very heavy impact on creators due to their wide range of knowledge, making them the premier source for improvement.

Or, y’know, professional complainers.

Lynch explains the impact a critic’s review score can have.

“[Review scores] certainly hurt media consumption a great deal because … it kind of hurts peoples’ ability to intelligently think about what they’re consuming,” Lynch said. “But in terms of production, I would say it’s almost always positive … the more perspectives you give to anything, anything in general, will only make it better, as long as the perspectives are well-informed and coming from a place of genuinely trying to improve or give their thoughts rather than just looking for things to criticize.”

Kindling Kindness: Stories of consideration in our community ‘Fortnite OG’ changed everything and nothing; short nostalgia season Read more on ‘Fortnite OG’ changed everything and nothing Fans’ impossible nostalgia wish comes true

Kindling Kindness

Stories of consideration in the Prospect community The People’s Advocate Party push for victory AP Government election simulation pins student parties against each other Young Life starts up in Mount Prospect Christian Youth Group creates lasting friendship through faith

‘Tis the season for giving back

MOLLIE KEARNS & STELLA PALM Editor-in-Chief & Copy Editor

As the season of fall rolled around, along came Service Club sponsor Erik Hammerstrom’s favorite service project: the Prospect food drive, formally known as “You Got Gobbled.”

Over the next couple of weeks, boxes upon boxes would fll up the commons. Knowing how impactful the food drive was, Hammerstrom felt proud knowing that his students were helping others in need. One day, a student approached Hammerstrom with a shy demeanor, quietly asking what the food was for.

Hammerstrom explained to this student that the food was going to the Village of Mount Prospect for their food pantry. The non-perishables would go to families who didn’t have a meal on their table.

“I have a friend whose family’s really struggling right now,” the student asked. “Would there be a way I could just take a box?”

Hammerstrom wanted to respond with, “Yeah, I can help you take it. Let’s go!” But he knew that it wouldn’t be helping that student in the way he wanted. Instead, Hammerstrom told this student how they could go to the Human Service Department of the Village of Mount Prospect and not only collect food, but also other valuable resources, such as toiletries.

Although Hammerstrom wanted to give the student the box of food, he felt glad knowing that the student would have more resources available to them in the future.

Prospect has a variety of opportunities for students to get involved in service projects, such as the food drive. Hammerstrom acknowledges that Service Club is just one of the fun and easy ways to get involved and give back to the community; ASB participates in the “provide” season during

Interested in joining service club?

Visit

Mr. Hammerstrom in room 202

the second quarter, and many groups take part in Prospect Gives Back.

“I feel like it’s constantly getting bigger and growing, which is awesome,” Prospect alumnus and English teacher Lindsey Craig said. “There’s just more and more opportunities for students to get involved with service.”

Service Club helps gather students to volunteer for diferent events. They typically have three to fve service opportunities posted to their Schoology page each week.

Hammerstrom thinks that one of the great things about Service Club is how fexible it is, meaning students can participate in these opportunities according to their own schedule. He notes how the club has grown in numbers and how students partake in service for diferent reasons. One popular pattern is the need to complete service hours for National Honor Society.

“Some students get in and they start just trying to knock of the NHS hours, and the next thing you know they have 30 or 40 [hours], and they get fred up [about it],” Hammerstrom said.

This feeling of kindness that people express during service projects can become addicting, according to Hammerstrom. He recalls examples where some of his past students got “hooked” on this feeling when they give back to others and were able to relate their involvement in service to their passions outside of the club.

“I feel like if more people tried it, they would fnd they might enjoy it too,” Craig said. “You can do it in diferent ways. It kind of aligns with something else you’re passionate about ... you can fnd ways to give back and relate it to some of your other hobbies or strengths as well.”

Craig was heavily involved in Service Club throughout her four years in high school. Some students, like Craig, even go as far as earning a service notation, which is equal to a .5 credit on their transcript for 70 hours of service in two consecutive years.

Another reason students may get involved in Service Club is from past experiences with community service. Junior Bella Iovino, who is on Service Club’s executive board, attended St. RaymondSchool before coming to Prospect. Iovino credits a lot of her love for service to St. Raymond’s, where the student body would often participate in service projects.

“I think that it just became part of our lifestyle, and that we all grew a little bit of a community with each other,” Iovino said. “So we carried it on here in high school.”

While giving back during all seasons is important, Iovino believes that most people feel inclined to give back to those in need specifcally

THE MORE THE MERRIER: Senior Julia Valentini (left) and junior Olivier Witek (right) organize non-perishable goods in the commons for the Prospect Food Drive on Nov. 18. The food collected goes to the Village of Mount Prospect and Northwest Compass to assist families in need. (photo courtesy of Erik Hammerstrom)

during the holiday season because it is heavily advertised in the media. According to an article from USA Today, volunteering increases by 50 percent during the holiday season.

The increase of service can also be attributed to Thanksgiving, where the idea of giving thanks is the center of the celebration. However, it’s likely that these feelings of gratitude will lead to something else – empathy.

Empathy allows people to build social connections and deepen their understanding of the people around them, according to HelpGuide. org. ASB co-sponsor Michelle Fonsino describes this as “the importance of making someone else smile,” like giving someone a gift.

“Giving is the selfess part,” Fonsino said. “Have you ever given a gift to somebody and then the look on their face … [when] they receive it is just so much more powerful than if you were on the receiving end?”

Both Fonsino and Hammerstrom realize the value of teenagers taking part in service activities and setting aside time to provide for others. In turn, this helps generate feelings of empathy and selfessness.

“It’s no fault of their own, [but] I think it’s really difcult to be a teenager because this time that you’re growing up in is very easy to refect on yourself all of the time,” Fonsino said. “ … It is too easy to forget about the community that

you’re a part of … So when you have opportunities to give back or even to refect on the community that makes you who you are … it’s really important.”

Through Fonsino’s role in ASB, she has had the opportunity to be involved in a multitude of service projects. One of her favorite memories occurred last fall when she participated in the “You Got Gobbled” food drive with Hammerstrom.

“I remember the visual, the canned collection and the tower that all of those donated foods made in the commons,” Fonsino said. [It was] really, really awesome. The sheer quantity of food donated was really memorable.”

Even if students do not participate in Prospect-sponsored service activities, giving back in even the smallest ways can make a big diference, according to Fonsino. Fonsino believes that these experiences allow EveryKnight to be involved and feel a connection to others, especially during seasons where giving is especially important.

“To give something means that you are showing your thoughtfulness, [and] you are putting other people’s happiness before your own,” Fonsino said. “... It’s a very important thing to do on a regular basis because again, it makes you recognize that life is more than just about you. It’s about your community, and the more that you can appreciate your community or those around you, the better.”

Providing funds for military veterans and frst responders

KAIA MAVRADAS

Features Reporter

Dragging his feet into his freshman year Spanish class in 2018, alumnus Owen Walter expected it to be just another boring day. Instead, he saw his teacher, Chris Cirrincione, selling gray shirts displaying the Folds of Honor logo. Walter, intrigued, looked into what the shirts were for. He learned that the profts would be sent to the Folds of Honor organization.

The rest of the day, all Walter could think about was the organization. Later, when he arrived home from school, he whipped out his iPad and started researching what Folds of Honor was.

He discovered that Folds of Honor is a non-proft organization that helps provide academic scholarships to the families of disabled or fallen frst responders and soldiers. Fifty-one thousand scholarships have been awarded by Folds of Honor since 2007.

“I thought it was a great cause … [and] an incredible organization,” Walter said. “It’s good that Folds of Honor is out there doing what it does for the veterans and their families.”

This year, between Nov. 9 and Dec. 1, ASB worked together with Folds of Honor to reach a goal of raising $10,000 for the organization. In order to raise money, students had the opportunity to donate electronically through a QR code, or they could donate in person by leaving cash in a money box located in their second period classroom. ASB ended up raising $5,492.

Last spring, she and the rest of ASB decided they wanted to do something diferent from the “You Got Gobbled campaign,” which was a fundraiser where people could donate food for local families in need.

So, ASB put their heads together and decided to collaborate with Folds of Honor for the second time, the frst time being in 2021 when Prospect hosted a basketball game against Hersey as a fundraiser.

“I am excited about partnering with Folds of Honor again,” Sandstead said. “I believe it allows … for our students to think about these service

OPPORTUNITY: ASB advisor Jenna Sandstead presents a check made out to Folds of Honor during the schoolwide assembly on Dec. 1. The funds raised go towards providing scholarships for children of veterans and frst responders. (photo by Violet Cantu)

men and women who do so much for us that goes unseen, in terms of providing the privileges and freedoms that we have on a daily basis.”

Many of Walter’s relatives have been involved in serving the United States military, including his four great uncles, one of whom was a Purple Heart recipient. The Purple Heart is given to soldiers who have been wounded or killed in combat. All of Walter’s great uncles served in the army during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Currently, Walter is in his frst year at the United States Military Academy (USMA), known as West Point. During the summers, Walter focuses on his military training, such as learning

about march formations, weapon systems, how to react to physical contact and more.

Walter’s sister, senior Ainsley Walter, has always had a tight relationship with her brother. Seeing him leave to train for the military, although not a complete surprise, was a challenge for her.

“It’s hard [because] I don’t get to talk to him [very often],” Ainsley said. “My brother and I have been kind of close since we were little.”

Watching him head of to West Point for the army was not only difcult for Ainsley, but also for her whole family. Her mom took it particularly hard, since she wants to protect her son.

Despite their worries for Owen, his family has always been completely supportive of his decision.

“At the end of the day, [Owen joining the army is] really scary, but we’d rather have him protecting our nation [more] than anyone else,” Ainsley said.

Along with having a close relationship with his sister, Owen is also close to his dad, Brian Walter, who expressed his delight in hearing his decision.

“[I feel] humbled and proud that he would choose to serve,” Brian said.

Coaching Owen in multiple sports from a young age, however, presented a big challenge for Brian when it was time for Owen to leave.

“The separation [was a challenge],” Brian said. “You know that their desire to serve … is going to take them away from you.”

Ainsley, along with having a brother who is training to be in the army, is also an ASB leader. When she learned that Prospect would be working with Folds of Honor, she was thrilled.

“I thought Folds of Honor was a great way to give back to our community,” Ainsley said.

When Ainsley told her family about Prospect’s collaboration with Folds of Honor again this year, they were also excited.

“To see [Folds of Honor] be honored again this school year … as a schoolwide initiative, it made me very proud to be associated with it,” Brian said.

Owen expressed his pride for the Folds of Honor fundraiser as well as the organization’s mission to give back to families in need.

“Men and women serve for this country, many [have] passed away for this country,” Owen Walter said. “The ones who have given their lives for this country deserve love and support from everyone.”

Unwrapping holiday traditions,

Holiday Gifts: Unwrapping the Stories

Sarah Matzkin News Reporter

Gifts can elevate the holidays and make them more memorable. Sophomore Rebecca Howe thinks they are memorable because they remind people of that specifc day they got the gift, and can reminisce on how happy or emotional they felt receiving a gift.

Howe also loves giving gifts to others and seeing their faces when they receive them.

“I like feeling like I got them the perfect gift,” said Howe. I feel like I get joy from other peoples’ joy, like when they open a gift and get super excited.”

Howe believes gift giving is her love language and a way for her to show someone she cares about them.

She showed her friend how much she cared for her when she surprised her friend with a shirt she had been wanting that she saw in Howes’ closet. Her friend ran up and hugged her out of joy and thankfulness.

“It was worth it to give her the shirt,” said Howe. “She was in awe, and that made me feel like I did something selfess.”

Dakota Becco - Unwrapping surprise

Funny gifts, sometimes known as “gag gifts”, can be a unique way to prank friends or give something out of the ordinary.

Senior Dakota Becco remembers how she bought some of her friends gum that looked like coal for the holidays as a joke gift.

Becco thinks gag gifts are enjoyable within reason.

“If you get a gift that’s reasonably priced and doesn’t dent your wallet, that’s a good gag gift,” Becco stated. Some of the best gifts are ones that are total surprises.

The element of not knowing what’s coming then receiving something amazing can leave a lot of people with a good feeling.

Becco also recalls some more unexpected gifts she’s received around the holidays, specifcally when she was nine.

She got a Barbie dream house from her parents one Christmas, but the way she got it wasn’t what she had expected.

Becco and her parents fnished opening gifts, but her parents called her into the garage and surprised her with the dream house.

“It’s like when a band fnishes performing, but then they come back for the last number,” Becco said. “It was like, ‘oh, opening gifts is over,’ but really it wasn’t.”

“I was really thankful,” said Becco. “I was just in shock I think because it was kind of an outrageous gift since it was a really big gift, but I was really happy.”

Xander Sanchez Scriven - D.I.Y holiday gifts

Whether a gift is store bought or handmade, the thought and care the person giving it puts into it is much more meaningful.

Junior Xander Sanchez Scriven agrees with this when it comes to giving or getting gifts around the holidays.

“[Gifts] can make someone’s day and make someone happy, ”Sanchez Scriven said. “It’s a nice thing to do.” Sanchez Scriven is aware that some homemade gifts may be more emotional, but he believes store bought gifts can have the same efect.

“If it’s something you buy in a store but it’s really important to [the recipient], it can be really nice,” Sanchez Scriven said.

For homemade gifts, Sanchez Scriven emphasizes the importance of knowing the person and listening to them to know what they like and who they are since homemade gifts are sometimes very personal.

“An emotional gift is exciting,” Sanchez Scriven said. “It hits you, it makes you feel heard and it makes you feel comfortable.”

Matthew Fouch - Gifting friendship

Not all gifts come in a box or a bag.

Gifts can even be living things. Junior Matthew Fouch will never forget receiving a new cat as a gift.

Fouch explains that his family’s previous cat had passed away and he wanted another one.

“With a cat, you have an emotional connection,” Fouch said. “That’s something you can care for and grow alongside.”

Fouch is not the only one who wants this connection.

According to an article from nypost.com from 2022, 51% of children asked their parents for a pet as a holiday gift.

Pets can make the holidays special and create memories that last forever.

“It was a total surprise the night my parents brought the cat home,” Fouch said.

“When I saw her, I was just really happy and excited.” Fouch recalls going over to pet her right away, which was a special moment.

Traveling holiday traditions

MARY ROBINSON Features Reporter

Nicole Neri, mom of sophomore Brooke Neri and senior Brandon Neri, made the mistake of not ordering enough food to feed her entire family for Thanksgiving dinner. Six years ago, Nicole and her family traveled to Hilton Head, S.C. to spend Thanksgiving with their extended family. They scoured the house and tried to gather as many random foods as possible to eat for Thanksgiving dinner.

“I felt terrible! We didn’t have enough food,” Nicole said. “That was hard.”

Nicole, her husband and their four children have been traveling every Thanksgiving and winter break for the last three years. They have been to places all over the country, including Hawaii, South Carolina, Colorado and Florida.

This year, the Neri family is returning to Hilton Head with a total of 16 family members. To Nicole, the most stressful part about planning these large family vacations is trying to fnd something that everyone likes to do.

To ease her stress, she fnds it helpful to plan a day-today itinerary. Weeks before leaving, she creates a Google spreadsheet that has each day planned out with diferent activities, like hiking trips and go karting, scheduled downtime during the day and who is cooking each meal. Having a wide range of ages on the trip can increase the difculty of planning activities that cater to everyone’s interests.

Meal planning can also be very challenging when cooking for a large group. Every Thanksgiving, Nicole and her family try to have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner flled with dishes like turkey and mashed potatoes. This leaves Nicole feeling prepared leading up to the trip.

“With that many people, it helps to have something planned,” Nicole said. “I do so much work ahead of time… [but] I know that no matter what there will always be hiccups.”

Traveling during the holiday season can be very stressful for families not only because of the planning, but because of the cost of these trips. Especially during the holidays, hotels, plane tickets and rental vehicles are much more expensive. Nicole and her family travel over Thanksgiving break because the tickets are always cheaper than they are around Christmas time. According to travelandleisure.com, prices leading up to Thanksgiving increase by 40% for domestic fights, and prices around Christmas rise by about 18% in the weeks leading up to Dec. 25. For international fights over the holidays, prices tend to rise by 23%.

A struggle for some students traveling close to the holidays is that they might have to miss a couple of days of school. Brooke hasn’t had to miss more than two to three days of school because of her vacations, but making up for the missing work can be challenging.

Brooke usually completes the work when she returns from her trip because she wants to enjoy the time with her family and relax. Brooke said her teachers have been really

accommodating and always try to fnd a quick way for her to make up the schoolwork. idays may miss out on activities and hanging out with friends over the break. Social media can play a huge role in students and others ex periencing FOMO while at home or on vacation. The Neri family doesn’t travel until the day after Christmas, but they are gone for New Years. Brooke doesn’t mind missing out on other parts of win ter break but has been sad about missing out on spending New Years with her friends.

of planning and organizing a family vacation, traveling over the holidays can make an experience even more special.

Over this Thanksgiving break, the Neris walked on the Hilton Head beach around 9:00 p.m. for what seemed like forever. Taking it all in, Nicole felt like she was on another planet.

fnd your niche, Thanksgiving is ours,” Nicole said.

FAMILY: Brooke Neri and family in North Carolina over Thanksgiving. (photo courtesy of Nicole Neri)

Rebecca Howe - Gifting Christmas joy

traditions, recipes and more

Passing down the

Recipes creating memories that last a lifetime

cookbook

ham was about four years old, and she hopes to carry it on to her own kids in the future. It all started because she was the frst grandchild, and her grandparents wanted to start something special during the holiday season. What made it noteworthy to her was doing something to connect Abraham with her grand-

Abraham loves sharing these traditions with her grandparents because it helps them grow closer. When she was in college, Abraham didn’t get to see her family much. She went to Illinois State University, so she didn’t live at home. Baking these cookies was a good way to catch up after not seeing her family for

This tradition is usually an all day event that takes place on Dec. 23 to ensure the cookies are ready for family parties on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Since her grandparents still work, it can be hard to fgure out a time for this event. Fortunately, they always

The Spritz cookies are always a hit at the Abraham family Christmas parties. Usually, there are not many leftovers because her family loves them so much. Abraham used to package them up and give them out to other family members. They usually make 150-200 cookies in one day. As well as Spritz cookies, sometimes they will make diferent cookies, like chocolate crinkle or sugar cookies, to satisfy all members of

The Abraham family makes Spritz cookies because her great grandmother had a cookie press, which is used to cut out or imprint a design onto a cookie. The cookie press that she uses is decades old and has been passed down through generations. Abraham thinks that the press makes the process seem more profes-

A Spritz cookie is a buttery cookie that is a mix of sugar cookies and shortbread. The word spritz comes from the German word “spritzen” which means “to squirt”. The soft dough is squirted through the cookie

Abraham thinks it is important to keep family traditions alive because they help people look forward to these events, along with making them more enjoyable

“It is something special because you’re doing it with the people you love,” Abraham In fact, a tradition like this helped Abraham make the decision to teach culinary arts. From a young age, Abraham knew she was a baker. She decided to embrace that Abraham’s family fully supports her in the decision to teach culinary arts. They expect her to bring sweets to all of the family parties. Abraham even has a whole unit about Spritz cookies in her class and brings her

Like Abraham, sophomore Emi Sasanuma embraces the traditions her family has created during the holiday season. Her family bakes and decorates sugar cookies as well as big bread rolls on Christmas Eve. Sasanuma bakes with her sister and

This tradition started when Sasanuma’s mom was a little kid. Her grand ma was a single mom, they wanted to start a tradition that was easy. Sasa numa thinks that this tra dition

NOT KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

Alyssa Kowols shares some of holiday favorites from mom’s side of the family

pUMPKIN Squares

• 2 cups four

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 1/2 cup oil

• 4 eggs

• 1 can pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together and put into a greased jelly roll pan. Bake for 25-30 mins.

cream cheese frosting

• 1/2 cup of margarine/butter

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 cups powdered sugar

Add milk until desired consistancy. Spread onto cooled pumpkin squares.

important because it started before she was born, and it helps her interact with her family.

“It makes it more special,” Sasanuma said. “Because my mom and grandma share things, and now they share it with [my sister and I] too.”

The bread roll recipe is from her great grandma, and the sugar cookie recipe is from her grandma. To Sasanuma, this makes it more special knowing that it comes from her family.

The bread rolls are made on Christmas Eve morning, so they are prepared for the big dinner that the Sasanuma family has that night. They also make a special type of butter to go with the rolls. Their sugar cookies are made on Christmas Eve as well, so they can decorate and then leave them out for Santa Claus.

The butter that the Sasanumas make is just like Texas Roadhouse’s, with butter, powdered sugar, honey and cinnamon. The sugar cookies are shaped with cookie cutters and are usually in the shape of a snowman and Santa. They decorate them with frosting and are usually all gone by the end of the night.

“It is really fun to do it with my grandma because I don’t get to see her very often,” Sasanuma said. Traditions, like baking, can be very important for families. They help to connect people and build relationships. Both Abraham and Sasanuma use their baking traditions to get closer to their families.

“I feel that it is important to set aside time for family traditions because they are so important,” Abraham said. “It makes people look forward to these things too. I just think it is important to have that and look forward to that.”

Wondering more about Christmas? Executive online editor

Dean Carlson explores the orgins of Christmas and its now secular traditons in his story “Christmas celebrating new perspectives”.

Standing up while sitting down

Diversity brought to cafeteria lunch table

JUSTIN PEABODY Copy Editor

Special Education Instructional Assistant John Meyers eagerly debated about the third Hobbit movie with a group of students during lunch earlier this school year. They were discussing the efectiveness of CGI versus practical efects in making movie scenes look more realistic.

During their conversation, Meyers admitted that he had seen many movies with low quality practical efects. However, he had also seen movies with fake-looking CGI efects, such as the third Hobbit movie, which includes a poorly rendered CGI scene of a character running up a rocky clif.

Meyers enjoys having random conversations like these at the lunch table he sits at during B lunch. The table lies at the front of the cafeteria, nearest to the lunch lines.

“This is what conversation at the lunch table is like,” Meyers said. “We just jump around from topic to topic … [it’s] free association theater.”

Meyers’ lunch table, which administration calls “Lunch Buddies,” has been ofered for 16 years. Although most students who sit with Meyers are in the URise Program or special education, the table is open to all students.

When he joined Prospect’s special education department 16 years ago, Meyers was assigned to a student with a rare disability that impaired her balance, coordination and fne motor skills. According to Meyers, administrative rules at the time prevented staf from sitting at lunch tables with students to help students feel less awkward. This meant that Meyers could only bring the student’s lunch into the cafeteria and leave with her when she fnished eating.

This didn’t feel right to Meyers. He believed that having someone to talk to would emotionally beneft the student, he chose to sit with her instead. Once he did so, her demeanor immediately changed.

“She started smiling and laughing for the frst time,” Meyers said. “She used to be sad and quiet at lunch, and then we were surrounded by people, and we laughed. There’s nothing like shared laughter.”

That same day, Meyers brought out a sketchbook and doodled in it, which made other students naturally curious about his artwork and drew them to the table. Soon, about a dozen students sat there regularly. Many of them were in special education, but some were not.

About a week later, Meyers informed a Division Head of Student Success, Safety and Wellness, Dr. Patricia Tedaldi, that he had bent administrative rules in a student’s best interest. Tedaldi was supportive of what Meyers had done and believed it was the right decision. Due to this, administrative policies were changed to allow staf to sit with students in the cafeteria.

“The rule was in the way of doing the right thing,” Meyers said. “…Whenever a rule does that, you have to change [it].”

16 years ago, the frst students at Meyers’ lunch table unofcially named it

“Lunch Table of the Damned”.

“The original students called it that because they had a dark sense of humor about who they were,” Meyers said. “They knew who they were. They knew they were diferent … and it was part of their way to lay claim to it and laugh [at themselves].”

Soon after, they created a Facebook group, also called “Lunch Table of the Damned,” which they still use to keep in touch with one another as adults and update each other about their jobs and family lives.

Meyers follows all of them on Facebook and still keeps up with their posts.

16 years after its creation, the table remains a place for friendships and open discussion, including basic small talk.

“Just the simple act of sitting there and eating lunch and having little conversations about ‘What did you do last night? How are your kids? Did you go shopping?’… That just means a lot to people,” Meyers said. “Especially if you’re having a bad day, if you’re having a rough week, being able to just sit with some friendly people at lunch … I think it’s important. One of those quiet, im-

portant things.”

Sophomore Dakota Samaniego, who is in the URise program, has sat at Meyers’ lunch table since the frst day of her freshman year. Although URise students are not obligated to sit with Meyers, Samaniego has enjoyed Meyers’ company and the company of her best friend Elisa. Many of the students at the table are her classmates, so it provides Samaniego an opportunity to get to know them better outside of class.

“[It’s nice] just being with my friends,” Samaniego said. “I love friends … It makes me happy. Everything makes me happy … we’re fun people.”

school. He believes that drawing too much attention would compel extra students to visit the table, which would overcrowd the area and make it uncomfortable for students who sit there on a regular basis.

“EVERY DAY I WALK INTO PROSPECT IS THE BEST... BUT I KNOW IT’S NOT LIKE THAT FOR EVERYONE.”

Friendship also brought freshman Aaron Simpson to the table during his frst week at Prospect, when he noticed his friend, senior Lexie Siadkowska, sitting there. Neither Simpson nor Siadkowska are in URise, but they appreciate the fact that Meyers’ table is quieter and less crowded than the other tables in the cafeteria.

- John Meyers, Special Education Instructional Assistant

Additionally, Siadkowska and Simpson both fnd Meyers to be an entertaining person to talk to. They love Meyers’ quick, observant wit and dry humor. Meyers honed this skill a long time ago, when he performed stand up comedy.

“[Meyers is] fun,” Simpson said. “He’s pretty funny. Except when he’s not funny and makes a dad joke.”

Comedy has helped Meyers to build his own small community at his table. However, he prefers not to advertise the table as a service of the

“I would like people to know that [the table is] there,” Meyers said.

“… If you need it and you want to come exercise it, or if you want to just come and hang out and be part of the scene, you’re welcome to … Everyone’s welcome, just everybody can’t do it at once.”

The table is a safe space for students who desire a more relaxed social outlet, but Meyers says it also exists for those who feel lonely and unseen.

“Every day I [walk into Prospect] is the best because I’ve worked here forever,” Meyers said. “All I have is smiling faces [in] every room I go in [from both] people who recognize me and [people who] are happy to see me. So every day I walk in here is great. But I know it’s not like that for everybody.”

Meyers acknowledges that many students he works with struggle with anxiety and depression that he is not aware of. In turn, he hopes to reassure them that these issues are temporary and need not defne their lives.

Above all, Meyers wants his lunch table to be a judgment-free place where all students feel supported, valued and at home.

“…We’re all in this together,” Meyers said. “… I protect your dignity, and that protects my dignity … That’s what community is. And when that’s working and when it’s healthy, it’s good for everybody.”

FRIENDS: John Meyers and students spend time together at their lunch table, where all students are welcome. (photo by Justin Peabody)

Newer finals pivot to projects

AMANDA FEINBERG Managing Editor

After preparing for the AP World History (APWH) test throughout the school year, senior Hannah Salzmann recalls being given a menu of project-based options for her second semester fnal to try and boost her grade. Salzmann chose a project that consisted of picking four songs that related to time periods in world history. With the help of her teacher Jon Kaminsky, Salzmann completed the project and efectively boosted her grade to a higher A.

“It was fun for me and interesting,” Salzmann said. “I felt like I had a little bit more control over my grade with as much efort I put into it as opposed to having to study for questions on a test that I don’t know will be on there.”

Kaminsky believes in giving students an easier fnal later in the year to help alleviate stress. Because the students have taken the AP test in May, Kaminsky, along with the other APWH teachers, ofer students a list of options when it comes to their second semester fnal. The projects include a music option, making a Mr. Potato Head and more.

“The goal of [our project] is not to annoy people,” Kaminsky said. “It’s to show in some way what they’ve learned or to expand on that … The hope is that they can fnd something that is at least of some interest [to them].”

While the standard fnal option has typically been a test, the structure of fnals has been steadily shifting to more project-based options. The range of fnal options for teachers to choose from allows students to have variety instead of having to take multiple tests.

Math teacher Matthew Evert believes that for math a test fnal is the easiest for assessing students’ knowledge of the subject. He believes that with projects it can be hard to capture mathematical knowledge since countless aspects of math need to be assessed.

“Something you do [in math] in the frst week of school [doesn’t go

away],” Evert said. “You’re going to use [that knowledge] again throughout the entire year. You have to remember … and make sure you have those skills … So that’s why I think there’s more of an emphasis on fnals in math.”

Similarly, in APWH, the concepts build upon themselves, so the recollection of knowledge is crucial for the AP test. Because of that, a traditional multiple-choice fnal is necessary, according to Kaminsky.

To expose students to the AP material early, Kaminsky’s frst semester fnal for his APWH class is a 15 percent conventional fnal; around half of the test is multiple-choice and half of the test is matching vocabulary terms to their defnitions. To best prepare students for the AP test, Kaminsky gives students a practice AP exam in April that goes into the standard test category rather than the fnal category.

Although this practice test is not the class’s ofcial fnal, Kaminsky sees a purpose for assessing students again before the AP test. In conjunction, Kaminsky also sees value in letting students with borderline grades attempt to boost their grades with a 10 percent fnal project that could be easier than a fnal test.

STANDARD OR NEWER: Traditional test fnals are switching to project-based fnals in certain subjects such as language arts or history, whereas conventional test fnals remain prevalent in most math and science. (cartoon by Grace Schiltz)

tory (APUSH) teacher Mike Sebestyen believes two standard fnals are essential for developing the required knowledge for the AP test.

58.7% of students feel more stressed with a traditional fnal according to a KnightMedia survey of 300 students

“If it’s a good test that’s showing knowledge, students should be able to do okay when [the test] covers everything,” Kaminsky said. “[A fnal test] encourages a growth of material and a growth of knowledge … I think that if we’re trying to determine what you know about a class worth of material, fnals are a good way to show that.”

In a similar fashion, AP U.S. His-

Celebrating being ELITE

DANNY MARTINEZ Executive News Editor

In the middle of rehearsing a play four years ago, Fine Arts Coordinator Jeremy Morton stopped rehearsal to hand out a new kind of award: an ELITE medallion. The award, which had just recently been unveiled in the athletics department, was a new addition to the fne arts program.

Morton, who oversees the Fine Arts ELITE medallions, wanted to individually recognize a student for their contributions to the theater program. The medallion, which was awarded to a student who demonstrated selfessness, went to Paige Hammersley, a sophomore at the time. Hammersley stood out to Morton because she was working for the good of the group, rather than trying to get more time on stage or a better part, which Morton wanted to publicly rec ognize.

“[The medallions mean that] I see you,” Morton said. “You mean something to this program.”

The ELITE medallions, which are handed out in 39 programs, represent six core values: leadership, academics, loyalty, character, sportsmanship and selfessness. The programs include athletics, fne arts and competitive activities (such as speech, debate and KnightMedia); each program chooses one student who embodies each of the values.

“If the fnal exam wasn’t productive, we wouldn’t do it,” Sebestyen said. “If it wasn’t representative of what we’ve covered, we wouldn’t do it. It would be a waste of [the students’] time and my time.”

Salzmann agrees that a fnal test is the best for showing a student’s overall knowledge of the subject; however, having multiple tests each day during fnals week often leads to high levels of stress for students.

Salzmann believes that if more of her fnals were projects instead of tests, she’d be less stressed due to having ample time to complete the projects.

“[With a project fnal] you have more control over your grade and you know the topics that you have to put in,” Salzmann said. “You have a rubric to help you complete [the project].”

While Kaminsky acknowledges

the importance of some form of a fnal exam in each class, he also understands that modeling high school fnals of of college is difcult because college can be diferent from a high school setting when it comes to due dates, fnals and the structure of the lecture.

“I think sometimes high school teachers make too much of a big deal of trying to make [their classroom] like college,” Kaminsky said. “But at the same time, colleges are very diferent from high school.”

Salzmann agrees that students’ test-taking and studying skills are built with more conventional fnals rather than projects. A beneft of having to take multiple tests is that Salzmann learns how to study and prepare in order to earn the grade she wants.

Sophomore at the University of Kentucky Brianna Michalczyk believes that her college fnals are diferent from high school fnals in the sense that college covers a wider range of subjects and material. At Prospect, Michalczyk typically took test fnals which were less intense than her current college fnals.

“College fnals are more intense so I wouldn’t say that [high school] fully

VISIBILITY: Appearing on a wall in the commons, ELITE establishes a visible presence in the school. The board was installed in 2018, helping spread ELITE’s message to all. (photo by Danny Martinez)

“Prospect ELITE represents a school culture of arts, athletics, activities and academics and how we share a common set of values,” Mirandola said.

The ELITE program began seven years ago when Mirandola and former athletic directors (AD’s) Tom Martindale and Rebecca Schilz took a long, hard look at their athletic programs. They wanted to evaluate Prospect’s ideals and consider what values they wanted to emphasize – the wins and losses or the life skills athletes learn.

To Associate Principal Frank Mirandola, ELITE, which stands for Everyday Leadership Inspired Through Example, helps unite the different aspects of Prospect.

In response, they created the ELITE program.

“We wanted to intentionally and purposefully celebrate the values we wanted to see in our athletic department,” Mirandola said.

After deciding to create something that honored student athletes’ attributes of the playing feld, Martindale and Schilz had multiple meetings with all of the athletic coaches over a few months to discuss what values they were looking for. They ultimately settled on six core values that, to them and the coaches, defned what EveryKnight should strive for.

“Sports … arts and activities [are] truly a vehicle to learning important life skills, and we

wanted to make sure we celebrated that along the way,” Mirandola said.

Shortly after the ELITE program was implemented, Morton saw posts on Twitter and Instagram recognizing students who received the ELITE medallions. Morton soon approached Mirandola, Martindale and Schilz to inquire about including the fne arts in the ELITE program. The program was initially just set up for athletic teams, but Mirandola and the AD’s quickly agreed to incorporate the fne arts, as they believed all Prospect students should be acknowledged for being ELITE.

Mirandola especially appreciates the medallions’ ability to recognize “greatness in others when they don’t sometimes see it in themselves.”

Additionally, the ELITE program means a lot to the recipients, especially senior Chris English, who has won a medallion for character in both soccer and track and feld. Earning the medallions has motivated him to maintain his character.

“As a Christian, I try to grow … to be like Jesus,” English said. “There’s some parts of that that I do, and there’s some parts that Jesus does … but the work that I do … [when I received the medallion], it felt like that had paid of.”

Mirandola believes many programs have adopted the ELITE medallions because the medallions not only beneft the awards’ recipients, but also the programs as a whole.

“[These programs] see the impact [ELITE]

prepared me,” Michalczyk said.

However, Michalczyk’s classes often use project fnals when assessing their students. In terms of high school, she believes that project fnals were more helpful in preparing her for college.

In his APUSH class, Sebestyen reminds his students they should already have an idea of what topics will be on the fnal based on what they’ve seen earlier in the semester. Although his fnal is worth a large percentage of a student’s grade, Sebestyen believes that a 20 percent fnal properly refects the intensity of the class.

A student who has been practicing and meeting with the teacher for extra help should have no issue with a fnal, according to Evert. Getting lots of experience with diferent types of problems, as well as having a positive outlook, often leads to success in Evert’s fnal.

“My famous quote is ‘Your attitude determines your altitude,’” Evert said. “Realistically, you shouldn’t be too stressed over a fnal because you’ve been doing that practice the entire year.”

has on the students that receive the awards … and the way in which their teammates or ensemble rally behind them,” Mirandola said.

ELITE winners receive a medallion and a T-shirt, and in addition to students, an assistant coach is awarded an ELITE shirt every season. This is to honor them for the work they do behind the scenes.

Students and faculty are not the only ones who value ELITE, as the Prospect Athletic Boosters have been a huge supporter of the program since its beginning. They fund the medallions for the 30 athletic programs that take part in ELITE, which they custom design and purchase from The Locker Shop in Elk Grove. The fne arts and activity medallions are customized the exact same way, but they are paid for by the school.

Recipients of the award aren’t necessarily seniors or varsity athletes. Morton, DeBoeuf and Mirandola all emphasized that any athlete or participant in a program has the ability to be ELITE.

“That’s another thing I really love about the program, is [that] it doesn’t have to go to a starter … a superstar … [or] a senior,” DeBoeuf said. “It can be anyone involved in your program at all, so it creates a great opportunity to celebrate some students … that don’t usually get celebrated.” As the ELITE program has developed, its visibility has increased throughout the school. An ELITE fag hangs in the feldhouse, and a wall in the commons displays the ELITE values. In addition, seniors have chosen to wear their ELITE medallions over their graduation gowns since ELITE’s frst year. To Mirandola, the seniors’ desire to wear their ELITE medallions alongside their senior medallions demonstrates just how important they are to students.

“It’s cool to see the pride that Prospect students take in being recognized for just being an ELITE person and having ELITE character,” Mirandola said.

Overall, the ELITE medallions instill a culture that places importance on the lifelong values students learn while participating in extracurriculars. In addition, ELITE unifes diferent aspects of Prospect into one overarching philosophy.

“Every program has their own saying [and] their own belief,” DeBoeuf said. “We all have our own separate culture, but the culture that unites us as all Prospect Knights is that ELITE [culture].”

LGBTQ+ musical sparks controversy

Nearby school postpones production of ‘The

Thirty-four miles west of Prospect, Hampshire High School was set to put on their very own production of “The Prom.”

“The Prom” tells the story of a lesbian high school student in Edgewater, Ind. who was banned from going to prom with her girlfriend.

On Oct. 20, Community Unit School District 300’s (D300) superintendent sent out a message announcing that Hampshire’s musical production of “The Prom’’ was postponed due to “safety concerns,” according to the D300 website.

The postponement was unrelated to the students of Hampshire and their supportive attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community; it was instead due to the district’s concern of harassment, bullying and violence towards Hampshire’s LGBTQ+ community, according to the District 300 website.

Senior Anna Parisi, an avid member of the theater program at Prospect, loves “The Prom” and is very passionate about fne arts, as she is a Theater Angels member and Fine Arts Coordinator Jeremy Morton’s intern. Parisi recalls her frst time hearing about the postponement at Hampshire.

“I was genuinely really confused,”

Parisi said. “I get why it would be a little bit more controversial to people who aren’t as comfortable with certain things, but also it very much so is a topic that needs to be discussed now because [LGBTQ+ inclusivity] is still such a big issue and the show does such a beautiful job of really showing, again, why it is an issue and what can be done to promote acceptance and inclusivity regardless of your beliefs, and regardless of another person’s sexuality or sexual identity.”

Morton believes that the situation at Hampshire would not be an issue here because of Prospect’s existing inclusive culture.

“Our school theme is EveryKnight; let’s celebrate every kid, EveryKnight,” Morton said. “So I would say that [discrimination] shouldn’t be an issue at all.”

Associate Principal Frank Mirandola also believes that Prospect, because of its EveryKnight culture, can have productive conversations and engage in proper behavior as a community.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe and included at school,” Mirandola said. “That’s a non-negotiable. No matter what is going on in the world around us, that should always be a mainstay.”

Inclusion is a very important aspect of the community, and Morton tries to show that in his productions. He shows this on stage so that everyone can feel represented when they are watching his shows.

“I feel like telling a story of someone’s life shouldn’t be controversial,” Morton said. “We just did ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,’ and it was fun, and we had kids playing younger kids who say wild and crazy things. Is that controversial? I don’t think so. We had a school last year in ‘Ranked’ where kids fought for their grades. Is that controversial? ... I don’t

INCLUSIVE ACTING: Sophomore Rosemary Heckard sings beside her co-stars, seniors Alex Chengary and Liam Ziegenhorn, who play her gay dads in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Prospect’s fall musical, on Oct. 3. (photo by Giselle Velazquez)

think so.”

Morton tries his best to focus on the storytelling aspect of his productions instead of what aspects of controversy the show may hint at. He has never been given any restrictions on what he can and cannot put on, but he does know what is and what is not appropriate for a high school production.

In this year’s fall musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Morton decided to make a script change. In the original production, there is a song named “My Unfortunate Erection,” but Morton decided to change it to “My Unfortunate Distraction.” Even though the musical does have a PG-13 warning, Morton understands that cast members like to bring their younger family members to their shows and that the word change didn’t change the message of the song; it just made it more appropriate for younger

audiences.

“I want to make sure that I’m telling the appropriate story and [the] right story for our kids,” Morton said.

For Morton, the process of selecting a musical involves talking with his team, which consists of a set designer, vocal director, choreographer, band and tech director. They decide on the scripts and what production they want to do that year. He also gets the opinions of students in his club, Theater Angels, to incorporate student voices.

“[Morton] values the students’ opinions very heavily because they are the ones who are going to be participating in the activity or putting on the production,” Parisi said. “So he wants to make sure everyone’s having a good time and everyone’s enjoying themselves.”

Prospect’s winter play in 2022, “She Kills Monsters,” tells the story

of Agnes Evans, who learns about her lesbian sister’s life after her death. The f-slur, which is commonly used to demean members of the LGBTQ+ community, was written in the script. Morton had a conversation with his cast members about whether they should include that in their version, and they ended up removing that word from their script due to its ofensive nature.

After Morton and his team decide on the musical that they want to produce, he sends the idea to administration, and they have a discussion.

In Morton’s 23 years at Prospect, no production that he has tried to put on has been unapproved, but prior to Morton teaching here, there was one production that was denied by administration. When Dave Morrison was the Fine Arts Coordinator, he wanted to put on a musical called “Bat Boy.”

According to Morton, it was not approved because the show was about a woman who was assaulted and impregnated by a bat and thus gave birth to a bat boy. That was a theme that administration did not want to put on, so the play was denied.

“I don’t [ever] want to put my students in a position where they’re telling a story that they don’t feel comfortable telling,” Morton said. “… I want to make sure that it’s right for who’s on staf and who’s on stage.”

This is why Morton chooses productions that represent the student body. For those in the theater program, he aims for them to have an outlet to be who they want to be on stage and embody a variety of characters.

“I’m not afraid of telling every student’s story, whether it’d be an LGBTQ+ piece or a piece about just students struggling emotionally,” Morton said. “I think by mirroring and telling our stories, it’s both cathartic for our students but also for our community and audience.”

Boys’ swim and dive shows spirit

Team traditions, support help swimmers improve season outlook

CLAIRE WYNKOOP

Exec. In-Depth Editor

One of the most important parts to team success is leadership. Boys’ Swim and Dive has been highly successful, and this is mostly due to one important team member. They are at every meet, every race and show unmatched dedication. Their name? Creampuf.

Creampuf is a fuzzy and white furred stufed animal that serves as the team mascot and was brought in four years ago by a swimmer to improve team culture. He gets passed down every year to a swimmer who the team decides is worthy of the honor. Creampuf is a staple of high school swimming. Junior Wally Kemp believes that the little stufed animal is their team’s good luck charm.

“It’s always there watching over us [and] making sure that we are swimming well and trying our best.” Kemp said.

students trying out for the team, head coach Alfonso Lopez credits the popularity to the community the sport creates.

“High school [swimming] is all about the team,” Lopez said. “[It’s about] pride in your school and just swimming with other dedicated high school athletes.”

The ideas of community and team pride are primarily what Lopez tries to bring to every season. From helping to foster and build a supportive atmosphere or encouraging wacky traditions and team bonding, Lopez hopes to create a pool deck and a team that always feels safe and supportive. This undoubtedly has also made its way into the team dynamic, as Kemp says he always feels encouraged and tries to do the same for others.

“The team is always super supportive.,” Kemp said. “We are all trying to help each other out and get each other to their goals, and when we see people struggling we try to help the best we can and make sure that everyone is successful.”

By creating a close knit team, Lopez has also inspired the creation of some unique traditions made by the boys on the team. Whether it’s themed practices during the holidays, pasta parties, bleaching their hair before conference and sectionals, or even Creampuf himself, traditions are one of the most important things to the team.

IT’S LIKE A BIG FAMILY.”

- Wally Kemp, senior

With so many opportunities to play sports outside of the high school realm, it can be surprising to see so many people try out for not only high school sports, but swimming particularly. Junior captain Daniel Badita is always shocked and excited to see so many people who share his love for swimming or are excited to learn. With almost 90

“There are goofy things that come from swimming because you just have to fnd something fun in going back and forth in the pool,” Lopez said. “There can be a monotony to swimming, so we [incorporated] some fun traditions over the years.”

These traditions are what swimmers learn to love most about high school athletics. A couple of Badita’s favorites are the pasta parties that they have before meets and bleaching his hair. Kemp is always excited to go to pasta parties, but he loves the fun practices they get to do as well. However, all of the activities and traditions that Badita and

Kemp get to help pass down are one of their favorite things about the team.

“Sometimes freshmen will come in and see all of our traditions with the sophomores and juniors and seniors and it’s like you’re joining something,” Kemp said. “It’s like a big family.”

The big family dynamic and team bond, according to Badita, is the thing that, across the board, has convinced athletes to keep swimming and to invite others to come out and participate. The family dynamic is something that separates club swimming, with teams like Core and Alligators, from the Prospect swim and dive team.

“A big thing about high school sports is knowing your teammates and having a great relationship with them,” Kemp said. “Sure you know people [at club], but Prospect has more bonding and fun.”

For many swimmers, the enjoyment of high school swimming starts with their coach. Badita and Kemp both agree that the impact Lopez has on the team has created the family that they love so much.

Above all, Lopez sees high school athletics as a place to learn. He prides himself on teaching good habits, realistic goal setting, and, according to Badita, integrity, sportsmanship, and how to show up for both yourself and the people you care about. These are all meant to help his student athletes in aspects in and out of the pool.

“Everything we do in swimming and athletics are learning points for life,” Lopez said. “Failure is going to be there in some form or manner for any athlete in their time [at Prospect] and it’s teaching them the tools to deal with it and [how to learn] from it.”

Altogether with the lesson for life, the team chemistry and the fun traditions, Prospect boys’ swim and dive has created a team and space that has kept swimmers, like Kemp and Badita, in the pool and working to become not only better athletes, but well rounded individuals.

“This should be a family, a welcoming place, a place where people belong,” Lopez said. “This is what we need to be providing for kids. A positive place to be a high school athlete.”

SPLASH: Launching off of the blocks to swim a relay on Friday, Dec. 8 in the Prospect Natatoriom, senior Colin Kelly dives into the water followed by junior Alex Verdet and sophomore Marko Bjelan. (photo by Claire Wynkoop)

Read here for a look into the girls’ bowling team and their recent success.

Scan here to see a photo album about the boys basketball tournament at St. Viator.

Listen here for a podcast on this season’s new IHSA basketball rules and their effects.

Watch here for a story looking back on PREP Hockey’s historic season and continued success.

Read here for a story on the boys’ track and feld team and their indoor practices.

Scan here to watch executive features editor Sienna DeMonte's broadcast on the brand new girls' wrestling team!

Parrish keeps three sport athletes alive

JOE PETERS Sports Reporter

During his freshman year, now sophomore Jackson Parrish would leave his wrestling practice early to make it to his track practice. Leaving wrestling at 4:30 gives Parrish about an hour to train at track practice. For two weeks in early February, as the track and wrestling seasons overlapped, Parrish found himself bouncing between practices for two of his three sports.

In addition to wrestling and track, Parrish also plays football at Prospect. With one sport each season, he is constantly busy with practices and training. However, having so many diferent teammates makes it easy for Parrish to meet a variety of kids.

“I love playing multiple sports because I meet so many people and build great relationships,” Parrish said. “Building memories is one of the best parts of being on a team.”

Many of Parrish’s teammates for football also run track with him, allowing Parrish to spend more time with his teammates and build even stronger relationships.

Football and track & feld coach Timothy Beishir is in support of multi-sport athletes. Additionally, he recognizes the importance of building many diferent relationships.

“If you have a bunch of kids in their primary sport that run into each other during their other sports, it just builds togetherness,” Beishir said. “There’s some sort of unquantifable factor in athletics and being in adverse moments where if you are simply close to your teammates, that will show. Being around them for more of the year will strengthen these bonds more than going on your own and specializing.”

DOMINATION: Sophomore Jackson Parrish overpowers his opponent during the Dec. 1 Buffalo Grove meet. Along with wrestling, Parrish flls the three sport athlete bill by participating in football and track. (photo courtesy of Tirth Patel)

weaker in the beginning of the season, but by the end, they are all evened out.”

Using diferent muscles in wrestling compared to football, has helped Parrish feel stronger. Instead of overexerting himself by playing one sport, the ability to participate in multiple sports allows for adequate recovery.

72.4% of the 294 students surveyed said they play only one sport at PHS

Even though football is his main sport, and the one he focuses on the most, Parrish continues to play his “secondary sports” to help him improve athletically.

Parrish also wrestles to help maintain his physical health during the of season. He joined wrestling to stay in shape for football and track. The daily cardio work of wrestling helps him stay active and healthy. He also noted how his body is stressed in diferent ways compared to playing football, and the increased exercise helps him strengthen his weaker muscles.

“When I go to wrestling from football, I can feel all of the diferent spots in my shoulders and upper body I barely use,” Parrish said. “They are

Beishir also explained how playing multiple sports can prevent injuries among athletes. When an athlete is repeatedly doing the same motions, they are more likely to cause overuse injuries. Switching up exercises and putting the body through new routines helps combat this.

Wrestling also helps Parrish keep his “killer mentality,” which helps on the football feld. Parrish said this mindset helps him stay focused and be ready to go at all times. This focus lets him be in the best mental state possible for competitions. He continues to wrestle, stay fearless and embrace tough, tiring situations. These challenging situations help build mental strength and allow him to persevere through any complications he may face.

Finding time to balance these sports and all the necessary training can be difcult. It is especially hard for Parrish to get lifts in outside of practice, but the introduction of zero-hour

lifting has helped him greatly. Zero hour is a before-school program where athletes come in at 7:25 in the morning to lift with the football team. They wrap up at about 8:20, giving the athletes time to get to class.

Zero hour is vital for Parrish because it fts well into his packed schedule. Since he goes to practice immediately after school ends, he doesn’t have much time to lift on his own while also trying to balance homework, friends, sports and family. Completing his lift in the morning provides him with the opportunity to use his time more efciently; he doesn’t have to worry about lifting later in the day.

Parrish thinks playing multiple sports is benefcial for athleticism and general ftness. He believes that athletes are free to choose what and what not to do, but just playing one sport and not doing any other activities in the ofseason will not help an athlete’s development.

“Lifting in the ofseason isn’t going to give you the same results as sports will,” Parrish said. “Lifting will give you muscles and size, but you won't be as athletic as you could be from all of the other sports keeping you in athletic form.”

Coach Beishir loves how multiple sports can create an athlete that is well-rounded in all parts of their game.

“You learn how to compete by being in different types of competitions. You’re still training, working and building up by putting yourself in those types of situations,” Beishir said. “That builds experience and comfort for when those big moments come.”

Athletic boosters provide for U

NICK EYLES Exec Sports Editor

The Prospect Athletic Boosters held one of their largest annual fundraising events to the public on Oct. 8, 2023: the 25th Annual Jef Miller Memorial Golf Outing at Palatine Hills Golf Course. With 125 golfers participating in the scramble-formatted event, the outing raised over $14,000 to support all of the athletic programs and student athletes at Prospect.

"That’s the biggest thing [to me]," Prospect Athletic Director Scott Mc Dermott said.

"That every dol lar they bring in is ear-marked for some athletic purpose … It is all money that goes to support our programs and our athletes in ways where the district or build ing allocation can’t.”

which then was incorporated in 2001 by his son, Tom Gattas.

Named Illinois Athletic Directors Association Outstanding Athletic Director of the Year in 1975, Gattas was always engaged in many local organizations, as he was involved in the Lions Club, Mount Prospect Police and Fire Commission, and a member of the United Way Board of Directors. His generous contributions made towards Prospect athletics earned him respect from his community, including Prospect’s stadium bearing his name in his honor.

According to projects.propublica. org, the Boosters made about $48,300 in total revenue, spent $31,400 in expenses. The net fundraising brought in $32,658 (67.6% of the total revenue) last year.

The Boosters was originally founded with help from former Prospect Athletic Director George Gattas,

Co-Director of the Athletic Boosters and Cheer Representative Michelle Lanza is proud of the organization for ofering numerous opportunities to fund each athletic program.

“It gives me a sense of fulfllment to our school and to the diferent sports programs,” Lanza said. “And what I really like about it is [that] even though I am a cheer rep, I feel connected to all of the programs through [Athletic] Boosters.”

Just like every other event the Boosters sponsor, the money is saved in a bank account dedicated to funding all of Prospects athletic programs where it can be used to purchase equipment or apparel when at coaches request.

The process works like this: once a coach submits a request, McDermott and the rest of the Prospect administration reviews it. If they all agree that the proposal could beneft the team, he sends the information over to the Athletic Boosters, where they make the fnal decision to purchase what the coach wants.

This past Spring, the Athletic Boosters purchased new sound systems for football, baseball, and softball games. Since the start of the football season, many students have been pleased with the new addition, as the new student section speaker was a major upgrade from last year.

In addition to the upgraded audio, McDermott mentioned that new hurdles were bought for track, along with new goals for lacrosse. Cross country and track and feld coach Jay Renaud said he’s thankful to the Boosters for their generosity towards each athletic program he coaches.

“I feel like we always try to ask for something, and they haven’t said no to us yet,” Renaud said. “We’re just trying to provide a good experience for kids.”

As a parent of a student who is in an athletic program, it is important to Lanza, as a co-director, to make sure each sport is getting the same care with equipment upgrades.

Another way the Boosters have impacted the community has been its connection to alumni. McDermott

Despite this, athletes have begun to specialize in only one sport. A 2022 study by SageJournals found that 42.9 percent of high school athletes reported they take part in a small level of specialization. Whether it is missing time for one sport to train for another, the data shows that more high schoolers are content with just playing one sport.

According to Tracking Football, in the 2022 NFL draft, there were 262 players selected. Of this group of players, 233 of them (88.9%) played multiple sports in high school, 113 (43.1%) played three or more sports and only 29 (11%) specialized in just football.

Knowing the benefts of being a multiple sports athlete, Beishir tries to promote multiple sports as much as possible.

“I defnitely encourage it in multiple ways,” Beishir said. “Not having a lot of out-of-season demands for the kids allows them to do the sports they may want to do. It doesn’t make any sense to be playing basketball but having to meet after school for football as well.”

Playing multiple sports can also greatly improve one’s chance to make a college team, according to the recruiting service Next College Student Athlete (NCSA). College coaches actively recruit multi-sport athletes because of the athlete’s mental toughness, experience in competition and, most importantly, versatility learned from playing multiple sports.

Former Ohio State and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer has said many times that he was only looking for multiple sport athletes.

In a 2019 interview with Bucknuts, an Ohio State athletics media company, Meyer shared his feelings on one sport athletes.

“I am dead set against single-sport athletes,” Meyer said. “I think that’s wrong. I think the young person is getting screwed. Other coaches, such as longstanding Alabama football head coach Nick Saban has also historically stressed the importance of kids playing two or more sports growing up. Saban made this especially known in a feature interview with ABC.

“I kind of hate it when [players] specialize in one thing early on,” Saban said. “I like well rounded athletes. I always ask, what else do you play?”

When coaches openly say these things, it becomes hard for people like Saban to understand why athletes are still throwing their other sports away and focusing on one.

It is especially hard for Parrish when he knows that multi-sport athletes are slowly becoming a dying breed. As more and more athletes start to specialize, Parrish just hopes that people come to their senses and start to realize the benefts of multiple sports.

“I think when people start to educate themselves on why multiple sports are so helpful, there will be a surge of new athletes wanting to play two, or even three sports,” Parrish said.

SMILES: Assistant boys' golf coach Paul Hennig, 2023 Prospect graduate Jack Friar, Brendan Friar, and math teacher Michael McColaugh receive support from athletic boosters (photo courtesy of Rick Phillips)

and the rest of the administration realized that they needed support from audiences that would “not normally see themselves as athletic boosters.”

According to McDermott, they discovered that alumni still want to participate in supporting athletic programs any way they could using social media and other ways of communication.

“Prospect has a pretty solid tradition of alumni wanting to come back and fgure out ways to stay connected and contribute, and this is defnitely one of those ways that they can do that,” McDermott said. “So I know

that a point of focus moving forward is how we bring more people into the mix.”

When she frst applied to become the Co-Director of the Boosters, Lanza’s goal was to fnd some way of knowing that she was providing for her kids in Prospect athletics.

“I like the fact that [my booster donation is] going to the overall programs that Prospect has,” Lanza said. “I feel that being a part of Boosters to me is something that really gives me a sense of pride through all of the diferent sports that Prospect has to ofer.”